BWF World Tour Finals 2024: Shuttlers To Watch Out For

Badminton‘s World Tour 2024 season concludes this week with the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China.

The top seven performers from this season as well as the Olympic champion in each of the five categories – men’s and women’s singles and men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles – will compete in a tournament from 11–15 December for the year-ending glory.

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However, some of the shuttlers have withdrawn due to either injury or personal reasons. Men’s defending World Tour Finals and two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen is among those who have pulled out.

BWF World Tour Finals 2024: Preview

The 2024 BWF World Tour Finals will be the farewell tournaments for Olympic champions Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin (men’s doubles) as well as Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong (mixed doubles), with retirement on the cards for Lee and Zheng respectively.

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Meanwhile, Yamaguchi Akane will return to regain her title from 2022 in women’s singles, having withdrawn from last season’s event due to injury. However, she will face a tough competition in Group B alongside Olympic champion An Seyoung. Breakout Chinese sensation Wang Zhiyi is the top seed and leads Group A.

With Axelsen’s absence in men’s singles, his Danish compatriot Anders Antonsen is the man to keep an eye on, having earned the top seed by virtue of putting together the most consistent season. His Group A includes Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien-Chen, Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia and Li Shifeng of China.

China’s Shi Yuqi, the world number one, is only the second seed and is placed in a pool with the world numbers four, five, and seven – Jonatan Christie, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, and Naraoka Kodai respectively.

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BWF World Tour Finals 2024: Shuttlers To Watch Out For

BWF World Tour Finals 2024: Group draws

Men’s singles

Group A: Anders Antonsen (DEN, 1); Chou Tien-Chen (TPE, 3); Lee Zii Jia (MAS, 6); Li Shifeng (CHN, 8)
Group B: Shi Yuqi (CHN, 2); Naraoka Kodai (JPN, 4); Kunlavut Vitidsarn (THA, 5); Jonatan Christie (INA, 7)

Women’s singles

Group A: Wang Zhiyi (CHN, 1); Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (INA, 3); Ohori Aya (JPN, 5); Busanan Ongbamrungphan (THA, 6)
Group B: Han Yue (CHN, 2); An Seyoung (KOR, 4); Supanida Katethong (THA, 7); Yamaguchi Akane (JPN, 8)

Men’s doubles

Group A: Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (DEN, 1); Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin (MAS, 4); Lee Jhe-Huei/Yang Po-Hsuan (TPE, 5); Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin (TPE, 8)
Group B: He Jiting/Ren Xiangyu (CHN, 2); Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto (INA, 3); Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani (INA, 6); Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik (MAS, 7)

Women’s doubles

Group A: Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning (CHN, 1); Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan (MAS, 4); Matsuyama Nami/Shida Chiharu (JPN, 5); Teresa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand Pullela (IND, 7)
Group B: Iwanaga Rin/Nakanishi Kie (JPN, 2); Baek Hana/Lee Sohee (KOR, 3); Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi (INA, 6); Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan (CHN, 8)

Mixed doubles

Group A: Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin (CHN, 1); Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet (HKG, 4); Yang Po-Hsuan/Hu Ling-Fang (TPE, 6); Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong (CHN, 8)
Group B: Goh Soon Huat/Lai Shevon Jemie (MAS, 2); Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei (MAS, 3); Dejan Ferdinansyah/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja (INA, 5); Midorikawa Hiroki/Saito Natsu (JPN, 7)